17 Swiss Chard Recipes That Showcase the Versatility of This Healthy Green (2024)

FAQs

What are 3 ways you can eat Swiss chard? ›

Chard can be steamed or sauteed, and it's great in soups, stews, casseroles, frittatas and quiches. Young leaves can be eaten raw in salads.

Chard contains 3 times the recommended daily intake of vitamin K and 44 percent of the recommended amount of vitamin A. This vegetable can help to combat cancer, reduce blood pressure, and enhance performance in sports. Swiss chard can be eaten raw or cooked.

You can eat these greens both raw or cooked. However, cooking chards improves not only the nutrient availability, but also the taste. Swiss chard is susceptible to foodborne pathogens, like other leafy greens, so be careful about washing this veggie thoroughly before preparing it.

Kidney stone:

Swiss chard contains oxalates that may increase urinary oxalate excretion and predispose some individuals to calcium oxalate stones. As a result, anyone with kidney stones should avoid Swiss chard because oxalates may increase symptoms in certain people.

Boil Swiss chard for a healthier side dish.

Bring a pot of water to boil on the stove, and add several generous pinches of salt. Add the chopped stems from 3-4 leaves, and cook for 2-4 minutes until they're mostly tender. Place the leaves in the pot, and cover for 1-2 minutes. The leaves should be wilted.

chard is also has an abundance of antioxidants as well as phytonutrient antioxidants. Why are these phytonutrient antioxidants so special? These antioxidants have been shown to have great anti-inflammatory properties. These phytonutrients can be found in the plant's leaves, and colorful stems.

Dark leafy greens like kale, collards, Swiss chard, and spinach contain magnesium, a mineral that helps soften stools, making them easier to pass.

Can you eat too much Swiss chard? Although Swiss chard is extremely healthy, it should be eaten in moderation. Eating too much can lead to side effects such as: Kidney stones: Swiss chard contains antinutritive oxalates, which may increase urinary oxalate excretion and increase the risk of calcium oxalate stones.

Because oxalates are water soluble, they can be reduced by blanching, boiling, or steaming with the liquid discarded. Fermentation reduces oxalates. Cooking in milk or macerating in whey can also mitigate oxalate exposure. Sprouting can help too.

The best time to enjoy chard (sometimes called Swiss chard) is spring and summer, when the plant is at peak availability and most affordable. But you don't have to limit your chard consumption to that window. You can preserve these hardy, healthy greens by freezing them.

Should you eat the stems of Swiss chard? ›

You Can (and Should!) Cook Your Swiss Chard Stems. Here's How. Don't let the best part of this delicious vegetable go to waste.

Contains oxalates.

Like other leafy greens, Swiss chard is high in oxalates, which play a role in the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones — but you can still enjoy nutrient-dense foods high in oxalates. To help prevent kidney stones, try to stay hydrated, limit sodium intake, and get enough calcium ( 32 , 33 ).

The CDC assigns nutrition density scores to produce based on their concentration of essential vitamins and minerals. Usual suspects like spinach, chard, and beet greens all have scores ranging in the 80s. But the only vegetable to earn a perfect score of 100 is watercress.

If you enjoy bitter, earthy flavors and prefer a crunchy texture, then kale may be the better choice for you. However, if you prefer milder, sweeter flavors and a more delicate texture, then chard may be a better option.

Put the Swiss chard in the pot of boiling water. If you have a large batch to boil, do it in sections to ensure that the greens retain their fresh flavor after freezing. A good ratio is 4 cups of packed greens to a gallon of boiling water. Blanch (boil) Swiss chard stalks for two minutes and the leaves for one minute.

Choosing to eat chard raw or cooked depends on your taste and textural preferences. You can enjoy chard raw like spinach, kale and lettuce. As with spinach and kale, chard is earthy, but its bitterness is less intense than kale's.